BRUSSELS, March 12, 2026—Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, and Romania could raise labor productivity by up to 10 to 15 percent through wider adoption of digital technologies, particularly software and AI-enabled tools, according to the World Bank Group’s latest EU Regular Economic Report released today. With the EU economy expanding at roughly one percent annu...
WASHINGTON, March 5, 2026 — The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency’s (MIGA) Board of Directors approved the first in a series of operations to support Angola’s ambitious structural reform agenda and its efforts to diversify its economy, promote inclusive growth, and ramp up job creation, part...
Only 4% of women worldwide live in economies that provide nearly full legal equality WASHINGTON, February 24, 2026—Laws designed to ensure equal economic opportunities for women are only half-enforced on average across the world, indicating that the barriers that keep women from contributing fully to growth and prosperity are far steeper than previou...
While inflation has continued to fall across LICs, food insecurity remains serious. | © Shutterstock.comLow-income countries (LICs) have shown notable resilience in recent years. Despite heightened trade tensions and policy uncertainty, persistent conflict, and extreme weather, activity firmed last year, in some cases surpassing expectations (figure 1). A...
A teacher uses a tablet in her classroom. In middle-income countries, AI usage is concentrated among ICT workers and teaching professionals. Copyright: Adobe StockUntil recently, researchers studying AI's labor market effects had to work with a fundamental limitation: Without actual usage data, we had to rely on theoretical measures of "exposure&q...
Photo: Pexels / cottonbro studioWalk into a grocery store and markets behave as textbooks predict prices signal value; consumers compare options, competition rewards efficiency. Now we swap groceries for cancer treatment, maternal care, or emergency surgery. Healthcare is different. As Nobel Laureate Kenneth Arrow argued six decades ago—and glob...
In recent years, discussions around debt in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have often been framed by narratives suggesting that debt challenges stem primarily from excessive borrowing or ineffective policies. While these perspectives reflect real and important concerns, the latest evidence from the International Debt Report (IDR) 2025 p...
WASHINGTON, February 12, 2026—Current deficits in health, education, and skill development at work are costing low- and middle-income countries 51% of their future labor earnings, according to a new World Bank Group report released today. Over the past 15 years, even as incomes have risen and poverty has declined, two-thirds of low- and middle-income coun...
WASHINGTON, February 11, 2026 — The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a €70 million ($80.97 million equivalent) loan to Bosnia and Herzegovina to improve transport connectivity and modernize road infrastructure, essential drivers of jobs and economic growth. The project is complemented by an €8.5 million ($9.99 million equiv...
WASHINGTON, February 10, 2026 — The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a $370 million financing to improve sanitation and solid waste management services, reducing water pollution and restoring rivers and canals in Dhaka and surrounding areas.The Metro Dhaka Water Security and Resilience Program will strengt...
